Less Is More
Our society is bombarding us with advertisements every day. They tell us what we should buy, they tell us what we should own. They show us their product is better than its competitors. These advertisers do that because they understand basic human psychology. They know that when we hear or see these images and messages, we are attracted to it.
Look at our society right now. People are becoming slaves to materialism. Do materialism and more money bring us happiness? The answer is NO, Rich people are more depressed compared to ordinary people. This is what you call the Psychology of Success. Meanwhile, there are people out there who don’t have that much, yet they are happy. As long as they have basic needs, they know they can survive and live here on earth.
There’s a movement that’s going on it’s called the Minimalism. It’s about living a life with few material possessions. Some people say that minimalism is about “not having anything” which is(of course) wrong. Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom. Minimalism is about having material possessions that is valuable to you.
I was curious about this movement/tool or lifestyle, so I decided to try it. I recently cleaned my wardrobe. I noticed that I have tons of clothes that I wasn't using anymore.
There are clothes that I even forgot that exists, I thought I gave them away. So I decided to pack my old belongings. After packing them up, I got 2 boxes, and 5 large paper bags full of old clothes. That moment I realized that I just have too much. I can’t wear all these clothes at the same time. I can’t bring these things with me when I die. After packing it up, I decided to give it away for those who really need clothes like the homeless people. For my books, I donated some of them to a local bookstore.
Living a simple life made my life better. I don’t put too much emphasis on what I wear. I am happy and content on what I have. A simple life helps me focus more on my tasks.
When I see things I want to buy, I ask myself first. Do I really need this? Will I be able to use this long-term? What value am I getting when I buy this? Ask yourself questions as well when you want to buy something. If it’s expensive, remember there is always an alternative.
Let’s get back to the meaning of Minimalism.
Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom. “Happiness, fulfillment and freedom” based on my experience it is true. Becoming a minimalist gave me the tools I need. It may be hard at first because we are used to a materialistic lifestyle but remember we can’t bring all of this when we die. Some of the stuff we own are just distractions and we just have them to soothe our own ego.
Understand that we human beings are creatures of habit. If we embody our minimalist lifestyle, we will get used to this.
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